South Meck Fall Baseball Workouts

I guess that depends on the type of tradition you're trying to validate. You're right, you don't have to have state championships to have tradition. But I highly doubt that anybody wants a tradition of not winning them, which is the case we have with South Meck. Great programs are defined by wins and losses and in high school sports, state championships. If you believe any differently then you must definitely have never been part of that type of tradition.

 

I agree...great programs are gauged by wins / losses. Since most of this has been geared towards Coach Bagwell...his record was 196-81 while at South Meck (State Runner up in 1999 & 2005)....SM also has 13 SW4A Conference Titles, 11 League Tournament Titles, 4 Consecutive State Playoff appearances....I'm okay with that tradition in one of the toughest conferences year in and year out.

My point was that there are a lot of great programs out there...HS, College and even Pro that never win the "Big One".

 

The only 4 A school in the state that could boast that tradition would be Greenville Rose. Using that as the only barometer leaves out many, many successful programs...including Providence. A team that has won the State Championship. But to say they have built a tradition of winning State Championships would be inaccurate.

There are a few programs across the state recognized as strong HS baseball programs. South Mecklenburg is certainly one of them. That reputation is not derived from having fluke seasons every now and then. They play in a conference that any given year may have 3 teams ranked in the Top 5 and 5 teams in the Top 20.

Three years ago, Myers Park, South Meck, Providence, East Meck and Independence were all ranked in the Top 10. The last two years, a combination of Indy, Providence and South Meck have been in the Top 5 in the state with South Meck attaining the #1 ranking many weeks. I don't know of any other conference in 4A that can boast those results.

The point is the program has a history of successful teams year in, year out. And that consistency is what makes them a succesful program by anyone's standards.

 

You silvered tounged devil....well said:229031_ha

 

I think we're throwing the term "great" around a little too generously. All of those stats do sound pretty good but they remind of the "GREAT?" Buffalo Bills of the NFL. Surely South Meck wants to take the next step and win the big one. My point originally was, GIVE THE NEW GUY A CHANCE. Bagwell couldn't win the big one while he was at SM, maybe the new guy can.

 

I am sure that Coach is aware of the past success's that comes with baseball at South Meck. Are we all concerned..............yes,..... but we have to give this fellow a chance. It is no different if anyone of us changed jobs and was put into a position in which we knew no one at the job. Everyone will be watching and judging, until we are allowed to just do our job and prove ourselves. If it doesn't work, then maybe we can bitch and complain. This guy could be the John Fox of high school baseball and we and everyone else, doesn't know it. Just ask yourselve this, .....when John Fox was hired to coach the Panthers, how many of you, (including me) said, who the heck is this guy? Things turned out pretty well with him. I know that comparing professional sports with high school sports may not be the same, but job performance is the same.

 

Wow! We're chasing a lot of rabbits here! Just a few observations:
1. There is a lot more to tradition than championships - case in point: Florida State (although I do believe they will have one soon)
2. Be thankful you have enough talented student athletes to field every sport each season without players needing to play more that one sport (although I believe a good athlete can contribute to any sport with the right fundamentals)
3. I LOVE sports - the competition, pre game rituals, game days, rivalries, the comraderie, opening day, playoffs, tournaments, bowl games, cheerleaders, band, dancers, the National Anthem, ESPN, MNF, CWS, ALCS, NLCS, MLB, NFL, and most of all, the lessons my kids have learned participating in athletics - with good and bad coaches. But I am not raising point guards and shortstops. I am raising young men. And my goal is to raise hard working, compassionate men of character and integrity who look beyond themselves to see not what they can get from the world, but what can they give. That is the tradition I want them to value above any other.

 

Try looking at 1989 in the 4A division for the South Meck's state title.

The NCHSAA handbook has 90 4A schools listed this year. The NCHSAA also list the playoff records since 1980. I have attached the 4A results. South is T-5th in wins, T-8th in appearances, and 6th in playoff winning percentage of teams that have made at least 10 trips to the playoffs. That means in the last 26 years, South is above the 90th percentile in play off wins, appearances, winning percentage and has won a 4A title. That sounds like a tradition anyone would be proud to have.

 

luigiboy....we're beating a dead horse here:dead-hors . I'm sure you know by reading my past post and from my background I am a South Meck and Coach Bagwell supporter....I'm not going to get into "trashing" anybody on this board. You and Honker and anyone else for that matter are intitled to their opinions as I am to mine.

The one thing that we do agree on is to give South Meck's new Coach a chance to see what he can do. Everything I have heard to date about him has been positive....the guy has to have time to get his program in place.

 

Why dont we clos out this one before somebody gets mad

Let's end this one here... it is a dead horse